Electricity and Control December 2022

ENERGY MANAGEMENT + THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT : PROJECTS, PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Securing power supply on the DRC’s Inga-Kolwezi HVDC link

Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader advancing sustainable energy for all, has signed a long-term service agreement with Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL) , the national electricity company of the Democratic Republic of Congo, to secure power supply in the country’s most important power transmission asset: the Inga-Kolwezi high voltage direct current (HVDC) link. The link supplies up to 1 000 megawatts of emission free electricity from the Inga Falls hydropower plant in the far west of the country to the Kolwezi mining region in the south. It is 1 700 kilometres long, the longest HVDC link in Africa. The link also enables the DRC to export surplus power to member countries of the Southern African Power Pool. The recently signed agreement continues the close collaboration between SNEL and Hitachi Energy that has run over the past 40 years to ensure the link operates at maximum availability and reliability through its long operating life. Hitachi Energy supplied the two converter stations at each end of the link in 1982 and has subsequently upgraded them and doubled transmission capacity. As part of the agreement, Hitachi Energy will assess the service needs of the converter stations, develop a preventive maintenance programme, and supervise its implementation over the next five years. The agreement includes training, knowledge sharing and expertise enhancement for SNEL service personnel. “We are delighted to be continuing our long collaboration with SNEL to protect the nation’s investment in its most important power transmission link,” said Andreas Berthou, HVDC and HVDC Service Global Product Group Manager at Hitachi Energy. “This long-term service agreement demonstrates how we work closely with the customer to secure availability and reliability over the lifetime of the asset.” “If you look at the map and the configuration of our site, you can see clearly how we identified local sensitive areas. Among other concerns of ecological sensitivity, we took into consideration the location of quiver trees and the hydrology of the site. Even the access roads have been carefully planned. We have avoided protected plant com munities and animal life as far as possible,” says Fourie. He says Scatec partnered with a specialist team to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment, which was required as part of the site development process. “They guided us through it and set out what needed to be done to mitigate the impact of the project. We had to apply for flora relocation permits and every single relo cated plant was tracked and monitored. We made use of the latest Geographic Information System (GIS) technol ogy to record the attributes of plant species in the field Continued from page 15 for anyone who does any kind of construction work in the vicinity.

The agreement will ensure the 1 700 km link operates at maximum availability and reliability. Jean-Bosco Kayombo Kayan, CEO of SNEL, said, “Hitachi Energy has been a close and valued partner of SNEL for almost 50 years, since we first collaborated on the design of what was then a ground-breaking HVDC link with the world’s longest transmission line. From that time, we have worked closely together to increase the capacity and maximise the reliability of this critical na tional infrastructure.” Hitachi Energy’s HVDC solution combines world leading expertise in HVDC converter valves, the MACH™ (Modular Advanced Control for HVDC) digital control platform, converter power transformers and high voltage switchgear, as well as system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning. HVDC Light ® is a voltage source converter technology developed by Hitachi Energy. It is the preferred technol ogy for many grid applications, including interconnect ing countries, integrating renewables and ‘power-from shore’ connections to offshore production facilities. HVDC Light’s defining features include compact convert er stations and exceptionally low electrical losses. during the search and relocation process. The field data was fed, in real time, to an interactive management dash board with consolidated species information.” Legislation requires the project to maintain a continu ing net gain of species. In the case of quiver trees, the flora permit requires that 10 new trees be planted for each tree relocated. “At first impression, the Kenhardt region may look like a barren, dry, and desolate landscape. However, as our research and planning have shown, there is an enor mous richness of life in the area,” says Fourie. Scatec was awarded preferred bidder status by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy for the Kenhardt project in June 2021, under the technology agnostic RMIPPPP. The three colocated projects that constitute the Kenhardt development, involve a total esti mated Capex of USD 1 billion. For more information visit: https://www.hitachienergy.com

For more information visit: www.scatec.com

16 Electricity + Control DECEMBER 2022